Love It or Hate It, It’s Heeeerrrreeeee

What'm I talking about? Well FOOTBALL of course! One of my favorite things is college football. I'm a big fan, but not die hard. (Although my sister and I are plotting ways we can catch the game while at a friend's wedding in a few weeks. Actually, his wedding is a two day extravaganza.) Do the polls and numbers numbers mean anything to you? Good things? Bad things? Do you agree or disagree? Could care less?

I don't know about you, but I went to a big football school. I think it was a combinations of things. We won the national championship my freshman year. I didn't even buy season tickets going in - because really - who cares about football? :X (Sacrilege, I know. Hey - I grew up and have lived all my life North of the Mason Dixon line.) Not to say we don't have good football up North. I mean there's The Ohio State University, and that state up North (both in the Big Ten). I suppose I have to give props to the Pac Ten as well. Otherwise, the SEC is a major power house, and everyone knows football is akin to religion (if not greater) for the Big Twelve. (Yes I know there are more conferences.)

Some of the big schools playing this Saturday are the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes, Trojans, Sooners, Gators, Tigers, Mountaineers, and Longhorns. Some schools have awesome mascots. Others are run of the mill. You have your fierce animals, the ones everyone knows - and then the interesting ones.

Even if you have nothing to do with sports, there are some mascots that are recognizable to everyone. Likely everyone knows John Harvard. (*Please* tell me you can place this one.) The Ivy League is fun - it makes sports fanatics cringe, but Harvard and Yale have fun at their game, and the crazy traditions. (I know Harvard students go streaking before the game.) There's the green wave (Tulane)- but their mascot figure is a pelican. Stanford's tree has a mascot contest, I believe - which is fun (or they used to). Does your school, big or small, have a nutty sports tradition?

There are the teams you love, and the teams you hate. And I haven't even gotten into pro football yet. (Don't worry, I won't. ) But other than this post being YAY YAY YAY COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BACK AND THAT'S AMAZINGLY TERRIFIC - I'd like to involve all of you.

Do you like football? Hate it? Like another sport? Soccer, Baseball, Hockey? Have had friends who were on teams, managed teams, were cheerleaders or dancers for a team? Does your significant other love or hate sports? Are you sitting there with him/her or wishing you could use a crow bar to pry him or her off the couch? (Or using said crowbar to brain them?)

I liked playing touch football well enough, but I was never big on professional spots. Until, as I said, freshman year. There was no avoiding it, and by the end, I didn't want to. I also discovered Susan Elizabeth Phillips, one of my favorite authors, and read her Chicago Stars books. Honestly- how can you not be at least the tiniest interested in football after that?

Still, even with all the football hype, some times my favorite stories and things about the sport are the human interest stories. Like Michael Oher's. Yes, the article is long, but it's worth reading. And - tell me how you can hate a sport which makes a life and gives someone who wouldn't otherwise have them, great opportunities.

And of course, to make this everyone friendly - what's a something that you absolutely love love love, that you look forward to yearly, (or whatever time period). Or, any good sports stories? Or bad- because sometimes those can be good too. Or a favorite character who is/was a pro athlete. (Rachel Gibson, Deirdre Martin and number of other authors write terrific stories with such characters.)

Tags: Athletes, College Football, Deirdre Martin, Football, Limecello, Pondering, Rachel Gibson, Susan Elizabeth Phillips

DUCK FLASH: Busy, Busy, Busy…

This just in...

Sylvia Day has a lot going on, so listen up! You have to pay attention or you just might miss something important...

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Tags: 2008, AAR, Alluring Tales, Duck Flash, Eve of Darkness, Heat of the Night, J.R. Ward, Kathryn Caskie, Keri Arthur, Livia Day, Lora Leigh, Pleasures of the Night, Rachel Gibson, RWA, Sapphire's Worth, Sylvia Day

Review: Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Lawson's review of Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson
Contemporary romance released by Avon 27 May 08

I hadn't really planned on reviewing this book. I'd just picked it up between reading some heavy historicals to have something kind of light and contemporary to read. I hadn't expected the charm and the wry humor that I got with this book. I've only read one other book by Gibson and wasn't wowed by her, but I'd heard good things about this one, so I thought I'd try it out. Plus, I'm a sucker for a sports book and this one covers something that I love, which is football, and know really well, which is Texas high school football. Read more

Tags: Avon, Contemporary, Grade B, June 2008, Lawson, Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson, Review

Review: Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Limecello's review of Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson
Contemporary Romance released by Avon on 27 May 08

I've read every book Ms Gibson has written, and was so excited to get my hands on this book. I read it in one day - actually, in only a few hours. I've loved the quartet of books about the author heroines. I thought the first was my favorite. Then the third. But this fourth book joins them to form a triumvirate of book love.

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Tags: Avon, Contemporary Romance, Grade A, Limecello, May 2008, Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson, Review

Review: Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

LauraJ's review of Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson.
Contemporary Romance released by Avon 27 May 08

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book having never read anything by Ms Gibson, but from the blurb this sounded like something I would like and was even looking forward to getting it to read. I found out that this book is actually part of a series so I was a little worried about reading it without having read the others first. Fortunately it is one that can be read without reading the others first and nothing is given away to ruin the other books should you, like me, want to go back and read the previous books.

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Tags: Avon, Contemporary, Grade B, June 2008, Laura J, Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson, Review

DUCK FLASH: Revenge for a Date Gone Wrong…

This just in...

Remember a few of those bad dates way back when? Well, tell the world about 'em and win big if you're the one chosen with the worst-date-ever story...

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Tags: 2008, Avon, Duck Flash, HarperCollins, Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson